2000
#62,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 297
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Roethlisberger
A German surname likely meaning "resident of Reutlingen" or "from Röthleinsberg".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 352 Americans carry the last name Roethlisberger. That puts it at #69,002 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 973,734 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roethlisberger surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
352
1 in 973,734
Census rank
#69,002
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
307
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 307 bearers of the surname Roethlisberger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 69002nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roethlisberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roethlisberger
The surname Roethlisberger has its origins in Switzerland, specifically in the German-speaking regions of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the 16th or 17th century. The name is derived from the Swiss German words "Roetli" meaning "small red" and "Berger" meaning "one from the hills or mountains." This suggests that the surname may have initially referred to a person from a small, red-colored settlement nestled in the Swiss Alps.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Roethlisberger can be found in a Swiss parish register from the year 1618, where a certain Johannes Roethlisberger is listed as a resident of the town of Langnau im Emmental, located in the canton of Bern. This provides evidence that the name was already established in the region by the early 17th century.
In the 19th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Roethlisberger was Johann Jakob Roethlisberger (1808-1859), a Swiss theologian and writer who authored several works on religious topics. He was born in the town of Herzogenbuchsee, also in the canton of Bern.
Another historical figure was the Swiss mathematician and physicist Eduard Roethlisberger (1808-1892), who made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis. He was born in the town of Herzogenbuchsee as well and worked as a professor at the University of Bern.
The name Roethlisberger also appears in historical records from neighboring regions of Switzerland, such as the canton of Lucerne. In the 18th century, a certain Johann Roethlisberger (1720-1790) was a prominent businessman and landowner in the town of Entlebuch, located in Lucerne.
A more recent figure was the Swiss painter and sculptor Arnold Roethlisberger (1908-1986), who was born in the town of Langnau im Emmental and is known for his expressionist works depicting rural life in Switzerland.
It is worth noting that variations in the spelling of the surname exist, such as Röthlisberger, Roethlisberger, and Röthlisburger, reflecting the different dialects and regional variations in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland where the name originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roethlisberger
Among Census respondents with the surname Roethlisberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Roethlisberger bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Roethlisberger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 294
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 5
- Two or more races1.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roethlisberger
Roethlisberger appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#63,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 314
+17 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 563 places
2020
#69,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 307
-7 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 5,478 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #62,961 | 297 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #63,524 | 314 | 0.11 | +17 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 563 places |
| 2020 | #69,002 | 307 | 0.10 | -7 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 5,478 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Roethlisberger surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #63,524 | #69,002 | -8.6% |
| Count | 314 | 307 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.10 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roethlisberger bearers went from 314 to 307 (-2.2% change). The surname moved down 5,478 positions in the national ranking, going from #63,524 to #69,002.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Roethlisberger
FAQ
Roethlisberger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roethlisberger?
Name Census estimates that about 352 living Americans carry the surname Roethlisberger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 973,734 residents.
How common is Roethlisberger?
Roethlisberger ranks #69,002 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 307 people with the surname Roethlisberger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (352), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Roethlisberger.
Has Roethlisberger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roethlisberger went from 314 recorded bearers to 307. That is a decrease of 7 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #63,524 to #69,002.
What does the Census say about the background of Roethlisberger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roethlisberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roethlisberger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (294 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roethlisberger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%), Two or More Races (1.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Roethlisberger (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Roethlisberger mean?
A German surname likely meaning "resident of Reutlingen" or "from Röthleinsberg". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Roethlisberger (0.10 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Roethlisberger?
If you just want to know how many people are called Roethlisberger, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.